The Legend of Hairy Man Road
Round Rock, Texas

The Pacific Northwest has its Sasquatch. Mexico and South Texas has the Chupacabra. And Central Texas has the Hairy Man.

The legend of Round Rock's Hairy Man dates to pioneer days. Various versions of the local legend say a young boy either fell off a wagon as pioneers headed west or was separated from them by flood waters. However it happened, the boy then either lived on his own in the woods or was raised by local animals. Eventually the boy grew into a man and became a hermit and, well, very hairy.

The story says the hairy man frequently tried to chase away strangers and would hide in the trees to scare passers by, sometimes sitting up in the tree canopy which grew over the road, dragging his feet on the top of passing stagecoaches. One day, he supposedly fell in front of a stagecoach and was trampled to death, doomed to haunt the shady road to this day.

Hairy Man Festival

For over a dozen years, Round Rock has celebrated this unusual legend with the annual Hairy Man Festival. Held in October to tie in with Halloween, the festival features the usual festival fare--crafts, food, music, kids' activities--and some not so usual festival fun as well. The most unusual festival activity is the Hairy Man Contest, judging, yes, the hairiest contestant. For more on the annual event, visit the Hairy Man Festival website.

Video of Hairy Man Road

Map to Hairy Man Road

 
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Hairy Man Resources

For more on the local legend, check out these resources:

Hairy Man Festival This legend page provides more history about the famous tale.

Weird Texas This book by the authors of Weird US includes a section on Hairy Man plus plenty of other Texas legends.